Paul gmehlin



(No Model.)

P. GMEHLIN. UPRIGHT PIANO ACTION FRAME.

Patented Jan. 17,1882.

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[ 71 1/31 tor.

nhington, u, c.

N-llTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAULGMEHLIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

. UPRlGHT-PIANO ACTlON-FRAM E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,370, dated January17, 1882.

Application filed August 16, 1881; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL GMEHLIN, a citizen of the United States,residin g at New York city, in the county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Upright-PianoAction-Frames, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a metallic, or partly metallic,nprigh t-piano-forte action-frame with more reliable strength and lessweight and clumsiness than metallic frames castin onepiece an d toproduce supporting-rails with sufficient rigidity to avoid the necessityof intermediate fastenings to the string-frame or to the wrest-blockbetween their ends,which are fastened in a novel way. My object is alsoto produce a more convenient and substantial fastening for the lowerends of the intermediate standards. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view of thebass-end half of the frame, showing the end and one intermediatestandards, the points of fastening to the case, and the position of thepedal-lifting rod. The other half is a repetition of this. Fig. 2represents a section of the same at the bass-end standard, showing thecurved position of the ends of the supporting-rails, theirfasteningpoints, &c. Fig. 3 represents a section of the same at one endof the intermediate standards, showing the device for fastening thesame.

:A is the upper and principal supporting-rail. This rail lprefer to makeof steel. It can be made of any other metal. I arrange this rail so asto have its widest part in a horizontal position, or thereabout, so asto make the frame stand very rigid as to its forward and'backwardtendency without much weight of metal, so as to avoid the necessity ofany intermediate fastening to the string-frame or wrest-block,(which isthe case with others now in use.) The ends of the rail A are extended,bent, and curved into a proper position to fasten to'the rims of thecase B, instead of fastening by the standards, like others now generallyin use, near the stringframe, the position of which is shown in Figs. 2and 3 by the dotted line C. In this position they are not affected bythe warping of the rims. They may in some cases be fastened to thestring-frame. Over this rail I arrange the hammer-rest rail D, to swingon centers, like others now in we. I attach a lower metal rail, E, in asimilar manner to the upper one, having its ends extended, bent, andcurved into a position to fasten to the cheeks F of the pianocase by anymeans of fastening now in common use. It will'be observed that thesemalleable metallic rails A and E, with their ends curved to fasten tothe piano-case, are extra ra-ils,and are not and do not substitute forany of the rails, and are not screwed or bolted to any of the railsnecessary for the direct attachment of or support of the several smallparts of the action; but, in combination with the standards screwed orriveted thereon, a very rigid and substantial construction of frame isWhere they are light enough to avoid clu msiness they do not castuniformly, but are warped and twisted into various uncertain shapes-adifiiculty which cannot be corrected or avoided-and when they are soheavy as to be clumsy their fastening-points, standards, and rails areeasily broken by the slightest accident, and are not easily repaired.Great difficulty is experienced with action-frames where the rails areonly of wood in their shrinking and Warp ing, thereby disarranging theaction for the want of reliable support, which cannot be had incast-iron or wooden rails, all of which is obviated in the newconstruction, inasmuch as the rails are metal and can be bent into theirproper shape, and with their curved ends for the fastening of the actioninto the piano case they produce an elastic strength and a slightspringpressure against their fastening-points, so that the frame alwaysshuts into the case snugly, andis never too tight. It Willbe observedthat such a construction of frame (for the support of the wooden railsnecessary for the attachment of the several small parts of the action)can be easily reset and made to conform to any scale that has been drawnoutof its level by the immense strain of the strings, thereby atfordinggreat facility for repairs not known in other frames. It is seen,therefore, that the difficulties aforementioned are effectuallypreeluded. The upper metallic supporting-rail,

A, with its ends curved into arms to fasten to the piano-case, with itswidest part lying horizontally, is an important feature in my invention,as the rail is screwed or riveted to the top ends of the standards,there being no necessity of their running above the rail A, and whencombined with the lower metallic supportingrail, E, with its ends curvedfor the fastening to the cheeks F ofthe piano-case, they allow of theend standards being very simple and inexpensive, as the action is notfastened to the case by them, and they may be of wood without any of theprevious objections.

I make the standards G and H of cast-iron or any other metal, (for someactions they may be of wood,) and screw or rivet them to thesupporting-rails A and E. To these standards I screw the wood rails inthe ordinary way. The lower ends of the intermediate standards, H, 1form into hooks l,=twhich are arranged to swing into a notch or recessin a block of wood, J, which is secured to the key-frame. In this blockI insert a screw, K, having a large head with a groove turned in itsunder part close to its shank, which forms an outer rim. When theclogged with dust or affected with the atmos pherical changes.

I am aware that cast-iron piano-action frames cast in one piece, havingend standards with curved arms cast thereon for the fastening of theframe into the piano-case, are now in use. I do not claim. suchaconstruction; neither do I claim metallic rails for the directattachment or direct support of the several small parts of the action;neither do I claim rails, straps, plates, shells, or tubes of metalsecured directly to wooden rails for that purpose; but

What Ido claim as my improvement, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. As an improvement in upright-piano-forte action-frames, thehorizontal metallic supporting-rails A and E, said rails beingindependent of the wooden rails to which the small parts of the actionare directlyattached,and notscrewed or bolted to them, but to serve as apart-of the frame to which said wooden rails are secured by thestandards, said metallic rails having their ends extended, bent, andcurved into a position to fasten to the case or string-frame, therebysecuring the action into the piano by the aforesaid metallic railsdireetly,in combination with the standards Gand H, screwed or rivetedthereon, as shown and described.

2. The horizontal metallic supporting-rail A under the hammer-rest railD, constructed as shown, with its widest part in a horizontal or flatposition, in combination with the said standards G and H, and beingscrewed or riveted on the top ends of said standards, substantially asshown and set forth.

3. In upright-piano-forte action-frames, the hook I on the lower endofthe standard H, the block J, provided with a notch or recess, thescrew K, having a groove in the under side of the head, thereby formingan outer rim or flange, all in combination, arranged to operatesubstantially as shown and described.

- PAUL GMEHLIN. Witnesses:

HENRY BEER,

JOHN F. Wool).

